Our Christmas trees keep getting smaller.  From the days when the kids were little and we went to a tree farm and cut the biggest tree we could find, to today, when our tree is shorter than I am tall.  The size of the tree represents the size of the celebration!

I sometimes envy those of you who have large families attending your holiday celebrations.  It must be so much fun to catch up with people whom you haven't seen for a while (especially during these pandemic times) and to comment on how much the children have grown, and NOT comment on how much some of the adults have grown.  And even if someone is wearing a mask, the eyes still smile.  Have you noticed that?  We might not be able to see the entire smiling face, but the smiling eyes are still welcoming and wonderful.

This year our Christmas has taken a new route as our son and daughter-in-law have moved to Leeds, England, where they both have happily found exciting new jobs.  Their two children--our grandchildren--will be joining them there to celebrate Christmas, and our Christmas with them will consist of a Zoom meeting or a face-time call.  It's not the best way to celebrate, but it certainly is better than no celebration at all.  Thankfully, our daughter and her husband are here to celebrate with us, and they are always fun.  I'm glad they live close by.

I have an English friend who commented that our Thanksgiving celebration in the U.S. is a bit of a puzzle to the Brits.  She told me that it seems like it's just Christmas but in November.  I told her that it's not like Christmas because at Christmas we have baby Jesus, presents, and a celebration that lasts for days--beginning with the Hallmark Christmas movies in October.

No matter what holiday you celebrate at this time of the year, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Christmas, I wish you a beautiful time with family and friends. 

But that's just my opinion.